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9:00The TakeawayTMThe Takeaway is a national morning news program that invites listeners to be part of the American conversation. Hosts John Hockenberry and Celeste Headlee, along with partners The New York Times, BBC World Service, WNYC, Public Radio International and WGBH Boston, deliver news and analysis and help you prepare for the day ahead.

10:00On PointOn Point unites distinct and provocative voices with passionate discussion as it confronts the stories that are at the center of what is important in the world today.

12:00Here and NowHere! Now! Imperative: not to be avoided: necessary. In a typical week, the show will cover not only all the big news stories, but also the stories behind the stories, or some of the less crucial but equally intriguing things happening in the world.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012State rep. calls for federal monitors for November electionRep. Alicia Reece wants federal monitors in Hamilton County for November electionby WKSU's STATEHOUSE CORRESPONDENT JO INGLESThis story is part of a special series.

ReporterJo Ingles

In The Region:

A state lawmaker from Cincinnati says the federal government needs to step in to oversee voting in Hamilton County this fall.Representative Alicia Reece is asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to step in and send federal monitors to her home county in November.

Reece: "Folks in Hamilton County are concerned. They’ve been questioning me about if I go to the polls on Election day will my vote be counted because it still hasn’t counted since 2010. So I’m asking for the U.S. Attorney General to look at Hamilton county and bring in elections monitors to create more integrity in the process where people feel if I go to the polls that it’s actually going to be counted."

Ingles: "Do you think this is a problem specifically in Hamilton County or is this a problem statewide?"

Reece: "I think it’s a problem statewide because we don’t have a uniform process. We are handling provisional ballots different in each county and that poses a problem if you have statewide or a presidential election. It causes potential disenfranchisement. If you are in one county, it’s counted. If you are in another county, it doesn’t. I’m specifically asking federal monitors to take on Hamilton county but also other counties in th estate but particularly Hamilton county because we still have a situation where 800 votes go today uncounted that were cast in 2010."

Ingles: "The problem with provisional ballots is nothing new. It’s been going on for a long time and we haven’t needed federal people to come in to oversee the process so why now?"

Reece: "Well it’s been going on for a while but we have not addressed it. We’ve been trying to address it through various steps and bills. And we have a bill now to have a uniform process. And our problem continues to grow. We have more people who are coming out to vote, more first time voters, people who want to be involved in the process and when we get them there, they read of something where their vote is not county. Hamiltion county is just a case we caught. It’s probably going on in other places that we haven’t been able to get our arms around. They’ve been in before. And I want to let them know it’s important to be in our district and other parts of the state to make sure that people know….hey when I go in to vote, my vote will actually be counted."

Reece says she’s hoping to have the monitors in by March but thinks it’s more realistic that the monitors won’t be able to make it in until November. She says the larger turnout with the general election is where most of the problems happen anyway. Reece says she will bring up the issue with Attorney General Holder when he visits Cincinnati later this week.

Reece: “We are handling provisional ballots different in each county and that poses a problem if you have statewide or a presidential election. It causes potential disenfranchisement. If you are in one county, it’s counted. If you are in another county, it doesn’t. I’m specifically asking federal monitors to take on Hamilton county but also other counties in th estate but particularly Hamilton county because we still have a situation where 800 votes go today uncounted.”